A Blue View: Menhaden Makes a Splash

A Blue View is a weekly perspective on the life aquatic, hosted by National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli.

From the smallest plants and animals invisible to the human eye to entire ecosystems, every living thing depends on and is intricately linked by water.

Tune in to 88.1 WYPR every Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. as John brings to the surface important issues and fascinating discoveries making waves in the world today.

January 23, 2013: Menhaden Makes a Splash 

Click here to listen to John discuss the importance
of protecting the “most important fish in the sea.”

 

At first glance, the menhaden is not a glamorous fish – it’s not one that is brilliantly colored or one that you would find on a restaurant menu.

Also known as “bunker”, “pogy” or “bugmouth”, this bony, oily fish, is a humble fish. But there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the menhaden. The menhaden has several critical roles for countless creatures under the sea, leading some to refer to it as “the most important fish in the sea.”

Late last year, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission made history by voting to limit the catch of this critical species of fish. By putting a catch limit on menhaden, the ASMFC has given conservationists hope that enough fish can stay in the water to fulfill their ecological role.

A Blue View: The Environment Up Close at the 2013 Maryland General Assembly

A Blue View is a weekly perspective on the life aquatic, hosted by National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli.

From the smallest plants and animals invisible to the human eye to entire ecosystems, every living thing depends on and is intricately linked by water.

Tune in to 88.1 WYPR every Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. as John brings to the surface important issues and fascinating discoveries making waves in the world today.

January 15, 2013: The Start of the Maryland General Assembly

Listen to John discuss the important environmental legislation that will be debated during this session of the Maryland General Assembly. *

The 433rd legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly opened on January 9, and with it, several environmental issues that will shape the future of life in Maryland are being debated.

Issues like shark finning, plastic consumption, hydraulic fracturing and wind energy affect the people of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed every day, and the quality of life in our state going forward.

Our government affairs team will be hard at work in Annapolis this year to advocate on behalf of these environmental initiatives.

Want to stay up to date on National Aquarium’s legislative efforts?  CLICK HERE to sign up for e-mail updates!

*Editor’s note: The audio and script for this week’s A Blue View incorrectly referred to 2013′s legislative session as the 429th. It is the 433rd.

A Blue View: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

A Blue View is a weekly perspective on the life aquatic, hosted by National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli.

From the smallest plants and animals invisible to the human eye to entire ecosystems, every living thing depends on and is intricately linked by water.

Tune in to 88.1 WYPR every Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. as John brings to the surface important issues and fascinating discoveries making waves in the world today.

January 1, 2013: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Listen to John discuss the serious impact the GPGP is having on our marine ecosystems.

Have you ever noticed a piece of trash or a plastic bottle carelessly discarded in the gutter? Someone may come along and pick it up. OR  perhaps it will make its way through the sewer into our streams and waterways, eventually ending up in our ocean.

Once there, it will follow the prevailing currents and either wash up on a beach or end up in one of the gyres that exist in each of our oceans. Gyres are large areas of calm water that are encircled by ocean currents formed by the earth’s wind patterns and rotation of the planet. Debris that drifts into these gyres stays there for years—pushed gently in a slow, spiral toward the center.

Approximately twice the size of Texas, the North Pacific Gyre, one of the more infamous, is commonly referred to as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. This gyre is estimated to cover anywhere from 270,000 to 5,800,000 square miles of ocean.

Last year, we were happy to host our friends from 5 gyres during their “Last Straw Plastic Pollution” bike tour. They shared stories from their tour along the east coast to raise awareness about the GPGP and how we can lead plastic-free lives! 

Kick-start 2013 by reducing your plastic consumption: 

• Forego the straw and the lid on your drink.
• Bring your own reusable mug when you stop for coffee.
• Stuff a trash bag in your pocket when you go for a walk and pick up the pieces of trash you see on the sidewalk, along the trail, or on the beach.
• Choose products that come with less packaging.
• Bring your reusable bags to all of the places you shop.

These are just a few easy tips. What other ways do you reduce your use of plastic at home? 

A Blue View: Climate Change and the Rise of Mega Storms

A Blue View is a weekly perspective on the life aquatic, hosted by National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli.

From the smallest plants and animals invisible to the human eye to entire ecosystems, every living thing depends on and is intricately linked by water.

Tune in to 88.1 WYPR every Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. as John brings to the surface important issues and fascinating discoveries making waves in the world today.

December 20: “Global Weirding”

Listen to John discuss how climate change has led to the rise of mega storms

Until recently, scientists and meteorologists have been hesitant to make a direct connection between climate change and rapidly changing weather patterns.

Coined “global weirding,” distinct trends and records for nearly every type of extreme weather are occurring: high temperatures get higher, rainfalls set new records, droughts get deeper, wildfires burn more acres. But with the increasing frequency of these events, and particularly with the devastation brought to the East Coast by Hurricane Sandy, climate change is becoming far less taboo in discussions about the causes of these mega storms.

“Global weirding” by the numbers …

• Sea levels are expected to rise by as much as 3 feet by the year 2100.
• The global population is expected to grow from 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion people between now and 2050, demand for renewable energy and clean water will continue to soar.
• The average global temperature could rise between 2°F and 11°F by the end of the century.

Want to learn more about the basics of climate change? Check out this great video!

A Blue View – Man, Eating Shark

A Blue View is a weekly perspective on the life aquatic, hosted by National Aquarium CEO John Racanelli.

From the smallest plants and animals invisible to the human eye to entire ecosystems, every living thing depends on and is intricately linked by water.

Tune in to 88.1 WYPR every Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. as John brings to the surface important issues and fascinating discoveries making waves in the world today.

November 28: Man, Eating Shark

Listen to John discuss the importance of protecting shark populations around the world from overfishing. 

Can you guess what the following things have in common? Lightning; driving to the beach; dogs; falling coconuts…

Give up?

Each one is more likely to kill you than a shark.

And yet, shark populations in all of our oceans are in danger of collapse, mainly due to overfishing. Commercial and recreational fishing kills up to 73 million sharks every year—including tens of millions solely for their fins. That’s roughly 200,000 sharks every day!

Here’s what you can do to help save sharks: 

• Just say no to shark fin soup! Don’t patronize restaurants or stores that serve or sell shark products. The Animal Welfare Institute has compiled a database of restaurants that have shark fin soup on the menu. You can also take the Shark Savers pledge to say you’re FINished with fins.
• Write a letter to your representatives, or sign a petition like this one from our partners at Oceana, asking those with the power to change and enact laws to do so.
• If you’re a Maryland resident, support the bill that will be introduced in Maryland’s next legislative session that would ban the possession or distribution of shark fins in the state. This legislation will ensure that Maryland is not contributing to the supply and demand of shark fins.
• Avoid eating seafood that is caught in a way that brings in sharks as bycatch. Download Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch card for a list of ocean-friendly seafood and what to avoid.
• Spread the word. Share this information with your social networks by clicking on the icons at the top of this page. The more awareness we can generate about this issue, the better.

Stay tuned next week for our next A Blue View series!